Lords pull grandfather rights on AWP numbers

by Tony Halstead

Trade leaders have hit out at a new "hidden" amendment to the Gambling Bill that means pubs will need a permit from the local authority if they want more than two gaming machines.

The House of Lords last week added an amendment to the bill that said any pub must get a "licensed premises gaming machine permit" in order to have more than two machines.

This new clause is a blow for pub operators who hoped to be allowed to automatically keep all their existing machines under grandfather rights.

Martin Rawlings, British Beer & Pub Association director of pubs and leisure, called the amended bill a "dog's breakfast". He said it left too much decision making in the hands of the local authority and contained no detail of how much a permit will cost and how it will work.

"We are not happy," he said. "There's no process of appeal. The bill says if councils think you are not allowed one, you're not going to have one.

"Lack of definition in the bill is a big problem. It makes the Licensing Bill look good. And we have no knowledge of what the fees will be."

Rawlings also criticised the bill for setting the maximum payout for gaming machines at £25. This went against the advice of the Gaming Board, the regulatory body for gambling and gaming machines, which recommended that the limit should be £35.

Union Pub Company managing director Stephen Oliver called the amendment "underhand" and said it typifies the way the Government quietly makes changes to bills before they get passed.

"We just can't trust them as far as we can throw them," he added. "The lesson from thisis that constant vigilance is required at all times."

Oliver added: "This will certainly have a big impact inlarger managed houses, and in bigger tenancies and freehold pubs ­ anywhere where AWP is a significant slice of the income."

Morning Advertiser legal editor Peter Coulson said: "It's a bit of a slap in the face because a number of pubs have more than two machines so they will have to have a licence. It seems a bit unreasonable that they can't have what they had before as part of their grandfather rights."